New Delhi: A nationwide survey on bears kicked off this week to collate information on distribution, threats and conservation measures from all 26 bear-ranging states to prepare the National Bear Conservation Action Plan.

The survey is an initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, and is being conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). The National Plan is slated for release at the International Bear Association (IBA) Conference to be held in India in 2012.

Eight species of bears are found in the world of which four – Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), Malayan sun bear (Ursus malayanus) and Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) occur in India, distributed across the country. Throughout their range in India, the bears face serious threats due to forest degradation, conflicts with humans, shortage of food resources, poaching and trade of live cubs or body parts.

As part of the survey supported by International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA), information will be collected for the last five years from the records of the state Forest Departments. Accordingly, state-wise Action Plans will be compiled, which will eventually be used to produce the National Plan.

“A team of data collectors will be travelling interviewing forest staff who manages wildlife on ground,” says Dr Rahul Kaul, Chief Ecologist, WTI. “This information will be analysed by experts with inputs from Chief Wildlife Wardens making a plan to understand issues and identify actions necessary for bear conservation. A national level team will then collate site specific and generic issues and action to make the National Plan.”

India will host the International Bear Association (IBA) Conference in November 2012 in New Delhi. This will be jointly organised by the MoEF, WII and WTI in collaboration with the International Association for Bear Research and Management.

The conference is considered to be the largest international bear congregation focusing on conservation of all eight bear species and is organised every 18 months on a rotational basis between the Americas and the Eurasia. The five-day long conference in New Delhi invites members from over 50 countries to discuss on all aspects of bear biology, ecology and management.

“This conference provides opportunities of collaboration and information exchange between experts working in research, conservation, and husbandry of bears, whether captive or free-ranging to address the challenges in their conservation. The participants will include the IBA members, bear experts, field researchers, managers of bear population and their habitats, students especially those working on bear species to facilitate collaboration and improve bear research, conservation, and husbandry practices,” says Prajna Paramita Panda, WTI.